In light of continued media interest, The Football Association is publishing a detailed summary of the independent investigation into the allegations made by Eniola Aluko.
The review was carried out between December 2016 and March 2017 by barrister Katharine Newton from Old Square Chambers. Evidence for the report was collated on a confidential basis and therefore the full report will remain confidential.
The investigation did not uphold any of Eniola Aluko's complaints and found no wrong-doing on behalf of The FA or others.
A summary of the report can be seen here.
The previous FA statement on the matter and a comment from Mark Sampson are below.
FA statement:
The FA can confirm an independent investigation found no wrong-doing in respect of a grievance raised by Eniola Aluko in 2016.
Following an internal review into allegations raised by Eniola Aluko last year, The FA commissioned an independent investigation conducted by a barrister, Katharine Newton, from Old Square Chambers. Ms Newton is an expert on employment and discrimination law.
The independent investigation commenced in December 2016 and concluded in March 2017. The detailed independent investigation report did not uphold any of Eniola Aluko's complaints and found no wrong-doing on behalf of The FA or others.
The report recommended that a more detailed response to Eniola Aluko’s original complaints should be made and so The FA commissioned Ms Newton to write to Eniola Aluko to provide such a response, in order to ensure complete transparency and objectivity of the findings.
Eniola Aluko remains a centrally-contracted player. A complaint was made in 2016 and Eniola Aluko is not precluded from speaking about the facts of that complaint. Notwithstanding the independent investigation’s findings, The FA agreed a mutual resolution so as to avoid disruption to the squad’s tournament preparations. It was not to prevent disclosure.
Commenting on the report, Mark Sampson said: "I fully understood and welcomed the need for an internal review and an independent investigation by an expert on employment and discrimination law.
"It’s incredibly important that matters like this are taken extremely seriously and investigated in the right way – with the right level of sensitivity and support for all involved.
"The barrister’s final report said there was no case to answer and noted that my approach to all players is the same regardless of their background.
"I also appreciated that the report highlighted areas where I could improve my general communication style, and that is something I have taken on board and looked to improve.
"Over the last three years, the team have reached both World Cup and European Championship semi-finals, and in the process, climbed from 13th to fourth in the FIFA world rankings. My focus is fully on continuing to support the team and the start of our World Cup campaign in September."
